Food, noise mark holiday revelry

Food, noise mark holiday revelry

Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Blitar

Celebrating the Muslim Idul Fitri holiday in the remote hamlet
of Kali Kuning, near Blitar in East Java, was unique. There was
no extravagant party but just simple food with a lot of noise
from the bedug (traditional drums) and the firecrackers.

Two days prior to Idul Fitri, villagers gathered for megengan,
a ritual feast held at the mosque. Every family donated a tumpeng
(ceremonial dish of yellow rice served in a cone shape) which was
later eaten together.

On the eve of Idul Fitri, after they broke their final fast of
Ramadhan, villagers, mostly men, gathered in the village mosque
to conduct takbiran (recitation of Allahu Akbar, God the
Greatest) all night.

The younger ones took part in a takbiran parade. Each carrying
oncor (a small bamboo torch), they would board a truck equipped
with a giant speaker system chanting praise to god.

The youths endlessly beat the drums and threw firecrackers at
each other, ignoring the danger of the explosive devices.

Before making its way to Blitar city center to join other such
revelers, the truck traveled around the subdistricts to pick up
more participants.

It was almost dawn when the exhausted group returned to their
village to prepare for the Idul Fitri prayer.

At around 6 a.m., the villagers hurriedly walked to the
mosque, which was too small to accommodate all 150 families, to
pray.

After the prayer, villagers returned to their homes to proceed
with the sungkeman (a Javanese custom of asking forgiveness by
kneeling and bowing their heads to the elder's knees).

Visiting one's neighbors is also a part of the ritual.

However, no ketupat (traditional food eaten at Idul Fitri
wrapped in braided coconut palm fronds) was served during the
holiday. The villagers only eat ketupat seven days after Idul
Fitri.

For these Muslim villagers the essence of the holiday is
forgiveness and frenzied revelry, these things are more
meaningful than indulging in expensive food and decorations.